Gonzo, Gold, and Grit: Akiva Goldsman’s Best Screenplays

For over 30 years, Akiva Goldsman has written movies featuring some of the biggest stars, directors, and intellectual property. Oh, and he won an Academy Award for screenwriting, too. Whether it is Batman films, John Grisham novels, true stories, or critically acclaimed Star Trek TV series, Goldman’s career is diverse, impressive, and envious.

Check out these screenplays if you’re looking for inspiration or want to see how an Oscar-winning writer crafts his stories!

Scripts from this Article

Batman Forever

A Time to Kill

Batman & Robin

A Beautiful Mind

I, Robot

Cinderella Man

I Am Legend

Batman Forever (1995)

In the second collaboration between Goldsman and Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever became the tentpole of the summer of 1995, pitting the caped crusader against Two-Face and the Riddler. Each has their reasons for causing havoc in Gotham and wanting vengeance against Batman. 

This script was likely a challenging assignment for Goldsman, who was tasked to write a sequel without Michael Keaton or Tim Burton while still trying to meet audiences’ high expectations. The change in director gave him the freedom to bring a new, more colorful version contrasting with Burton’s darker originals, while also navigating the delicate balance of updating a popular comic book franchise.

Read More: How to Nail the Superhero Sequel Structure

A Time to Kill (1996)

Akiva Goldsman was tasked with turning another Grisham novel into a script about a young lawyer who takes on a case of a black man accused of shooting two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter. This was the first film of Grisham’s to deal with race as an overall theme as members of the Ku Klux Klan violently try to prevent the case from going forward and bringing to light the wickedness of their ways. 

This movie helped launch Matthew McConaughey’s career and was the third collaboration with Goldsman and Schumacher.

Batman & Robin (1997)

Batman & Robin has a bad reputation and, after its release, caused a complete change in direction for the franchise when Christopher Nolan would take it over eight years later. This movie changed the Bruce Wayne/Batman character again, taking on a much more cartoonish point-of-view from the previous iterations. Goldsman’s sequel brought new heroes, villains, weapons, and more. 

So, why read the script for the movie Goldsman has apologized for?

It was a produced feature film based on intellectual property with lots of hands giving feedback. If Goldsman didn’t intend for it to be bad, you can read the script and consider a different visual interpretation of it.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

John Nash was on the road to success. He wasn’t the most sociable student attending graduate school at Princeton, but he had a solid group of friends and several academic achievements. Everything was going well until a mysterious Department of Defense agent asked for his help and gave him clues that could aid the government in cyphering Soviet codes. 

It soon becomes apparent that Nash has created a series of imaginary people that he encounters in his life, only he believes they are real. His struggles mount as his mental challenges continue, yet his perseverance and support from his wife help him find success in academia and eventually a Nobel Prize in Economics.

This complicated true story garnered Akiva Goldsman an Academy Award in 2002.

I, Robot (2004)

In 2035, a techno-skeptical cop searches for answers when a robotics scientist dies in an apparent suicide. I, Robot shows a futuristic world where robots help humans with daily mundane tasks like carrying groceries and walking dogs. There is even a set of rules programmed that they must follow to ensure they can’t harm humans. But Del, a Chicago homicide detective, sees something more sinister behind these robots. As he digs further into his investigation, the more he uncovers a threat against humanity.

Evil robots are not a new concept, but Akiva Goldsman provides a unique and compelling take in his screenplay based on Isaac Asimov’s 1950 science fiction novel.

Cinderella Man (2005)

At a time when the world was in the grips of the Great Depression, any story of hope seemed to grab the world’s attention. Whether it was a horse named Seabiscuit or a has-been boxer named James Braddock, the world needed underdogs to cheer for. In this true story of a boxer past his prime, Goldsman teams up with Ron Howard and Russell Crowe to bring the Cinderella story to the screen. 

When no one thought he had a shot at winning, Braddock saw re-entering the ring as a last-ditch effort to help his family when the world was in the midst of severe economic turmoil. This underdog story follows Braddock as he fights to become the heavyweight champion.

I Am Legend (2007)

In 2007, zombie movies were growing in popularity. While generally relegated to the B-movie list, big-name actors, writers, and directors were elevating the genre and crafting compelling stories. I Am Legend is just such a film. 

A remake of the 1971 The Omega Man and based on a novel, I Am Legend follows the only survivor of a plague who travels alone through New York City by day and hunkers down in a bunker at night when vicious monsters, who were once human, roam the city. Immune from the plague, this doctor tries to find a way to turn the monsters back into humans and save what remains of humanity.

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Akiva Goldsman has moved from features to TV, including several new Star Trek TV series and Titans. What’s interesting to realize about Goldsman’s writing career was how he worked with a director multiple times. Ron Howard directed four of his films, Joel Schumaker directed four of his screenplays, and he has his hand in several popular movies and television. 

Screenwriting isn’t just about writing great stories consistently but also building networks and reliability so that regardless of the genre, a director or producer will want to work with them consistently.

Read More: 3 Simple Ways You Can Impress at Hollywood Meetings